The Travel Chronicles: Oklahoma

I survived Oklahoma...again.  It was only 111 degrees while I was there this time, as opposed to the 125 degrees it was last time I was there.  Nuff' said, right?  Ok, this is me we're talking about...so that's never just enough...

• I have traveled through a lot of teeny, tiny regional airports over the past 4 years, but it's official, Lawton, OK tops the list of teeny, tiny airports.  There are 2 functioning gates at this airport, but only one of them is ever used.  Instead of having a baggage claim belt, they just roll up a door, and throw the suitcases onto a table.  And when I got to the airport a whopping hour before my flight (which was at 6am yesterday) they hadn't even opened security.  In fact, they didn't open security until 20 minutes before the flight took off, so instead of letting people trickle through as they may, there was a massive line, and I ended up waiting in that line longer than I ever have going through any other major airport.  Oh, and security here?  You would have thought we were trying to gain access to Fort Knox.  Ridiculous.  Don't get me wrong, my love is out there for small airports, but holy guacamole! this was a little ridiculous.  
• I have a goal for the end of Arrrrrrrrrrgust.  It's a good goal, a funny goal.  And one that is totally manageable:  To freak out as many TSA agents, get suspicious looks, and searched as many times as possible...all by doing one, crazy thing.  Smiling.  Oh, and being pleasant.  I already know that this is going to be a rough couple of months with the amount of traveling that I'm doing, so I'm going out of my way to be as nice and pleasant as possible to other people, if only to help keep my mind in a happy, positive place.  But it's really funny to see the looks on TSA agents faces when you're actually smiling and being nice to them.  
• The amount of travel I'm doing has increased...which is a good thing because that means I get more money.  And more money is a good thing.  Not that I'm greedy, but a girls gotta make a living.  But in looking at my calendar now, I'll be traveling 9 weeks in a row, and some of those weeks I'm visiting 3 different states.  It's a little crazy.  A little intense.  But I will, fortunately, have a few days off in between.  It's just a little odd to think that I've had the past 5 weeks off, and now I won't get time off again until my birthday.  
• On that note, a thought came to mind on my way back from Oklahoma.  Since my birthday is coming up (not that the big 31 deserves a huge celebration, or that birthday's are a huge deal anymore) I thought it might be nice to treat myself to something I haven't experienced in at least the past 4 years.  A vacation.  I mean, a real vacation.  No family.  No races.  Rest and relaxation.  But there are a few challenges with this too.  Not that I'm going to let those challenges stop me from this...but hear me out. 
• After being on the road by myself for 9 weeks straight, I'm not sure going on vacation by myself is really the best idea.  But the other part of that is then who would I travel with.  Family (no offense) is out of the question.  And most of my friends aren't around here, and even so, I need to see if they would even be able to go.  
• I hate hotels.  Even nice hotels get old.  So the thought now is to either find a nice B&B or a cabin somewhere to rent.  And I'm thinking within driving distance...because I am not so sure I want to fly.  
• Ok, so maybe those really are my only challenges.  Traveling companions and location.  Shouldn't be so tough to overcome...right?  Of course, any suggestions you might have are welcome.
•  It's time to finally talk publicly about a rather odd phenomenon that has been going on the past few months.  I have a collection of dresses in my closet that I always thought were my go to dresses.  They're comfortable enough to wear all day long, and look nice enough for work.  And they're dresses that I've had for a few years, so it's not like I bought a new dress, never wore it before, and had this happen.  In Oklahoma, I got asked for the THIRD TIME!!! if I was pregnant.  I've always kind of shrugged off the question, and obviously said no, but with a smile as to not make the other person feel like a complete idiot for asking such a bizarre, and hurtful question.  And then vent to a couple of my friends.  And I know that since I moved back, I've gained a little weight...but nothing comparable to what I have been in the past.  And I've always been overweight.  And like I said, I have been wearing these dresses for YEARS.  So why, now, all of a sudden, am I getting these questions???  Either way, it is definitely a time to dump some of those old dresses in favor of a little shopping for some new clothes.  But still, it's just a little baffling to me that it keeps happening on a rather regular basis.  
• I've become a little neurotic.  Again.  It's ok though.  It's about hand washing.  About a month before Ironman Arizona last year, I got compulsive about washing my hands really well (even better than normal) as a way to help keep any illnesses at bay.  It seemed to work.  And every year prior, the last week of August, I have gotten what seemed to be the worst cold of my life, that is until the next year when the cold seemed even worse.  I have delivered sessions where I literally had no voice to use.  So another goal for this month is to not let that happen.  So hand washing, hand sanitizer, and I've also started a regimen of Vitamin C and Echinacea.  

Ok, so other than all of this, it was a good trip.  I did a fantastic job.  And no, I'm not just tooting my own horn.  I get evaluated by the people I train, and all of them...ALL OF THEM...gave me nearly perfect scores.  Success!  I also avoided actually buying any ice cream on this trip, which is a huge success...and will hopefully lead me to my other goal, which is not to gain any weight, and leave August, stronger and more flexible than when I came into it.   1 week down, 8 more to go.